W Is For Wendy
by RkieFan
Summary: A former girlfriend of Mike's comes to town, causing feelings of jealousy in Jill.


DISCLAIMER: The characters are the property of Viacom and Spelling/Goldberg Productions. No copyright infringement is intended. The story is the property of the author.  
  
TITLE: W Is For Wendy  
  
RATING: PG13  
  
SETTING: The summer of 1977, shortly before the birth of Mary Kathryn.   
  
SUMMARY: A former girlfriend of Mike's shows up for a visit, causing feelings of jealousy in Jill. There are references made to 'The Late Mr. Brent' written by Sy Salkowitz.  
  
PART ONE  
  
It was an extremely hot June afternoon. Mike was at Memorial Hospital with a suspect who'd been injured during a chase. He was sitting outside the examining room leafing through a magazine waiting for the doctor to release his suspect so he could take him to the precinct to book him when someone called his name.  
  
"Officer Danko?"  
  
Mike looked up to see Jill's obstetrician approaching. "Dr. Miller, hi."  
  
"I wasn't expecting to see you here. Did you bring Jill in?" He asked curiously, looking around.  
  
"No, a suspect of mine got into a fight with a fence and lost. They're stitching him up now," Mike said, glancing at his watch.  
  
"So, how is life with a pregnant woman?" Dr. Miller asked, smiling.  
  
"Well, it's never boring. I'm beginning to feel like I can't say or do anything right. If I look at her cross-eyed she starts crying. And no matter how many times I tell her how beautiful she looks she tells me I'm lying to her. I can't win! I feel like my wife has been taken over by Regan from 'The Exorcist.' If her head starts spinning and she starts to spit pea soup at me I'm outta there," Mike sighed.  
  
"Mike, you're doing fine," Miller said reassuringly, patting him on the shoulder. "I know it's not easy. Believe me, I've been there. Just keep telling her how much you love her and the baby. You don't have much longer to go," Dr. Miller offered as he walked off.  
  
"Then why do I feel like I've been sentenced to ten years hard labor?" Mike muttered under his breath.  
  
  
  
Jill was lying on the sofa practicing her Lamaze breathing. Looking at her hugely pregnant belly, she was beginning to feel like a beached whale. There wasn't a part of her body that wasn't swollen. She had been forced to take maternity leave a few weeks before she'd planned after a pre-eclampsia scare. Her blood pressure had soared sky high and her ankles had swelled tremendously. It frightened the both of them so badly badly that for once Jill had agreed with her doctor's suggestion that she take it easy at home for the duration. Now all she had to look forward to all day was soap operas and her Lamaze practice. She'd never been so bored in her life. Or so undesirable. She didn't see how Mike could stand looking at her. She groaned as the phone rang. It took her a few minutes to hoist herself off of the sofa and waddle over to the phone.  
  
"Hello?" Jill answered in a breathless voice.  
  
"Jill, are you all right?" Mike's mother's voice came over the line.  
  
"I'm fine, thank you for asking," Jill answered politely, wondering what she wanted. Mike's father had suffered a mild stroke a few months before. She was hoping nothing else had happened.  
  
"Is Michael home?" Mrs. Danko continued.  
  
"No, he won't be here for about another hour or so," Jill remarked, looking at the clock. "I can have him call you as soon as he gets home. Is it an emergency?"  
  
"No, dear. It's not an emergency. Just have him call me as soon as he gets in, would you?" Mrs. Danko asked.  
  
"I'll do that," Jill replied.  
  
"Thank you," she said, breaking the connection.  
  
Jill looked at the phone thoughtfully as she hung up. Not one word about the baby, not that Jill expected her to say anything. They'd barely been thrilled when Mike had told them about the baby shortly after Christmas. From that time until his father's stroke in March they'd barely spoken. After the stroke Mike had tried to mend fences, but no matter how hard Mike tried his father still had difficulty accepting Jill.   
  
Jill was in the kitchen cooking dinner when she heard Mike's key in the front door just over an hour later. He smiled as he walked in, wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her on the neck.   
  
"If I get much bigger, your arms aren't going to fit," Jill remarked unhappily, turning in his embrace.  
  
"I'll make them fit," he promised, nibbling on her lower lip.  
  
"Watch it. That's how I got in this condition, remember?" Jill warned. "Oh, before you distract me any further, your mother called. She wants you to call her."  
  
"Is something wrong?" He asked, moving to kiss Jill's neck.  
  
"Michael? Come on, Mike, stop," Jill protested, pushing him away. "Call your mother and let me finish dinner."  
  
Mike reluctantly released his grip on Jill, walked over to the kitchen phone, picked it up and dialed. "Mother, it's me," he said with a definite lack of enthusiasm after his mother picked up the other end. "Jill said you'd called. Is something wrong? Is Pop okay? What? You're kidding! When?" He looked over at Jill before he continued his conversation. "Mother, hold on, let me take this in the other room. Babe, can you hang the phone up in here when I yell?"  
  
"Mike, what's going on?" Jill asked curiously.  
  
"Nothing. It'll just be easier to hear in the other room. I promise I won't be long," Mike said, kissing her and hurrying into the bedroom.  
  
"Mike, it's not like I have a rock band playing in the living room," Jill complained peevishly.  
  
"Okay, babe! I've got it," Mike called out.  
  
For a brief moment, Jill was tempted to listen in on his conversation. But the one thing they had always had in their marriage was trust and she wasn't about to throw that away now.   
  
Jill was setting the table when Mike came out of their bedroom about 20 minutes later, deep in thought. He finally looked over at Jill and smiled.  
  
"So, is everything okay?" Jill asked impatiently.  
  
"Yeah. My parents want us to come to dinner tomorrow night. I told my mother I'd have to let her know if you felt up to it," Mike answered slowly.  
  
"Mike, I feel fine. I just get tired so easily, especially in this heat. We can go for a couple of hours if you want to. What's the occasion?" Jill asked.  
  
"My mother was telling me that Wendy's in town," Mike said.  
  
"Wendy? As in your old girlfriend, Wendy? How long is she going to be in town?!" Jill asked sharply, feeling another surge of jealousy flare up.  
  
"I don't know," he answered honestly, not having much interest in an old flame whatsoever. "A few days, I guess. She's passing through on her way to Europe."  
  
"How nice for her," Jill stated unhappily, feeling tears threaten. "I feel like I should be harpooned and she's stopping through L.A. on her way to Europe."  
  
Mike sighed as he pulled Jill into his arms. She clung to him and breathed in the smell of him. "I love you. I'm always going to love you. You're giving me the one thing I've always wanted more than anything in this world...a family. You don't have to feel threatened by Wendy."  
  
"I still feel like I should be on display in San Diego," Jill commented, sniffling.  
  
"Babe, she's my past and that's where she's going to stay. You and Michael Danko Junior are my future," he insisted, kissing her deeply. "Now, can we please eat before our food gets cold?"  
  
"What makes you so sure it's a boy? What if it's Michele Danko?" She asked, wiping her eyes and dishing out their dinner.  
  
"Nah, I don't like Michele," Mike teased, sitting down at the table. "Besides, it's gotta be a boy. How else can he follow in my footsteps?"  
  
"She could follow in your footsteps too, you know," she answered firmly, gingerly sitting down and trying to get comfortable.  
  
"I wouldn't want any daughter of mine to be a cop," he answered firmly as he started eating. "If she looks anything like her mother she could be a fashion model."  
  
She looked into his eyes and smiled. "I love you."  
  
Mike smiled, glad he had defused what could've been a potentially volatile situation. He hadn't been kidding when he had told Dr. Miller about Jill's sudden uncontrollable crying jags. They struck most times without warning. He felt like he had spent the last few months constantly apologizing for things he wasn't even aware he'd done.  
  
After dinner Mike helped Jill clean up the kitchen, then they settled on the sofa. Mike had one arm draped around Jill's waist with his hand resting lightly on the baby while he read. Jill leaned her head against his shoulder drowsily, enjoying just being together. Mike's fingers lazily traced patterns on her stomach.  
  
"The baby isn't very active tonight. Usually, he's pretty active after dinner," Mike commented.  
  
"He's probably asleep. About the time we go to bed, he'll wake up and decide to do his nightly gymnastics against my kidneys. Can you do me a favor and rub my back?" Jill asked, switching position to give Mike access.  
  
"Where? Here? Or lower?" Mike asked, lightly massaging her back.  
  
"A little lower. Over to the right a little. Perfect!" Jill sighed as Mike rubbed her aching back. He slowly began moving his fingers higher until he was massaging her neck. He leaned forward and kissed her on the back of her neck.  
  
"Mike, we aren't supposed to be doing this," she protested as he continued kissing and caressing her neck and shoulders.  
  
"Doing what?" He asked innocently.  
  
"You were there with me when the doctor told us we shouldn't make love until at least six weeks after the baby's born," Jill reminded him as his fingers once again moved lower.  
  
"And I thought I had taught you almost everything you know. You should know by now that 'making love' does not necessarily mean that we have to have unlawful carnal knowledge of each other's bodies." He once again kissed her on the neck. "We can make love without ever doing the actual act itself. Am I right?"  
  
"Oh, we can do anything you want as long as you keep concentrating on that part of my back you've got your hand on right now. I think the baby's been using my tail bone as a goal post or something," Jill sighed as Mike gently pressed into her lower back.  
  
"A future Ram, huh?" Mike smiled.  
  
"Yeah," Jill whispered contentedly as Mike's fingers worked their magic on her aching back.  
  
  
  
They were lying in bed later that night. Jill was clasping Mike's hands, which were in turn clasped on her abdomen. She was thinking about the dinner the next night with his parents. She had forgotten to ask Mike what time they were expected. If it was too late Jill knew she would be miserable with heartburn the rest of the night.  
  
"Mike?"  
  
"Hmm?" He replied drowsily.  
  
"What time are we expected at dinner tomorrow night?"  
  
"Six. I told my mother that you couldn't eat too late. She said she understood perfectly. In fact, she told me to tell you she remembers those days well," he said, absently stroking her belly. He was almost asleep when Jill spoke again.  
  
"Is she pretty?" She asked reluctantly, turning over and facing him.  
  
"You've seen my mother, babe," he commented, deliberately misunderstanding her.  
  
"Very funny," she rolled her eyes. "You know perfectly well who I mean."  
  
"Oh, no. The last time I answered that question in the affirmative, I thought you were never going to speak to me again. Remember?" He asked, smiling.  
  
"I'm not talking about Pip Brent this time, Mike. I'm talking about your ex-girlfriend. Your brother told me you almost married her. So I'm asking you. Is she pretty?" Jill raised herself up on one elbow to look at Mike in the dark.  
  
"Jill, I haven't seen her in 10 years. For all I know, she could have warts all over her faceand she could weigh 300 pounds," he grinned as he leaned over and kissed her.  
  
"Mike, I'm serious!" She snapped angrily.  
  
"So am I. I wish you'd relax about this. She's going to be in town for two days, then she'll be out of our lives and we won't ever have to worry about her again," he said as he tried to go back to sleep.  
  
"Does she know you're married to me?" Jill demanded, not knowing why she couldn't just let it go.  
  
"I'm sure my mother told her. Jill, please go to sleep. I love you," he once again kissed her.  
  
  
  
Terry and Chris were getting dressed the next morning when Mike walked in. He walked over and got his blues out before slamming his locker closed.  
  
"Trouble in paradise, Mike?" Terry asked curiously.  
  
"I have a word of advice for you guys if and when you ever get married and start a family. Adopt!" Mike stated sourly as he sat down and started getting dressed.  
  
"What's wrong now?" Chris asked, smiling at Terry.  
  
"My ex-girlfriend's in town and my parents have invited us over for dinner tonight while she's in town," Mike explained, ignoring the looks from the guys.  
  
"And I take it Jill's less than thrilled with the dinner plans?" Terry guessed.  
  
"Jill's in serious insecure mode right now. I don't know what I can say or do to convince her that I love her. Wendy was a long time ago and I didn't feel nearly the same way about Wendy as I do about Jill," Mike said, buckling his gun belt.  
  
"Mike, Jill's eight months pregnant. From what I've read, most women who are pregnant go through periods of thinking their husbands don't love them. Especially when a former girlfriend suddenly arrives in town," Terry said sympathetically. "Why don't you send her some flowers or something?"  
  
"Terry, if I send her flowers, which isn't a bad idea, she's going to read the wrong message into them and think I've been meeting Wendy at The Beverly Wilshire or something," Mike retorted.  
  
"So, what does this Wendy look like?" Chris asked curiously.  
  
"I haven't seen her in 10 years," Mike answered.  
  
"Okay, so what did she look like the last time you saw her?" Chris pressed.  
  
"Tall and blonde," Mike said quietly.   
  
"I'll make up Willie's old room. After tonight, I have a feeling you're going to be needing it," Terry said, smiling.  
  
PART TWO  
  
Jill was examining the contents of her closet, almost in a state of panic. She remembered the first time she had dinner with Mike's parents. She had been informed by Mike's father that 'we dress for dinner.' Jill had almost laughed until she realized that he was serious. She hated having dinner over there. They behaved like a family from a 1950's sitcom. A formal table and they 'dressed for dinner.' Nothing in her closet was appropriate for a dinner with his parents. She did have several pretty maternity dresses but she hated them. She told Mike they made her look like Mama Cass.  
  
When Mike walked into the apartment at 5 o'clock, Jill was nowhere in sight. As he walked toward their bedroom, he could hear noises coming from in there. He walked in to find Jill tossing things out of the closet in a rage. He shook his head and rubbed a hand over his face wearily.  
  
"Babe, what are you doing?" He asked carefully.  
  
"I have nothing to wear! I should just drape a quilt around myself and tell your father it's a formal toga!" She said, sniffling.  
  
"What if I pick something that I like? Forget my parents, for once," Mike suggested, picking the strewn clothes up off of the bedroom floor and hanging them back in the closet.  
  
"I hate looking at myself! I can't wear anything that doesn't make me look like a whale! My feet swell up, I can't stop going to the bathroom and I can never get comfortable! Now, I have to find something to wear that won't be deemed 'inappropriate' at your parent's dinner table!" She wailed, starting to cry again.  
  
"Babe, my parents are going to understand," he reassured her warmly. "Where's that blue dress that you wore to Terry's birthday party?" He asked, going through her dresses until he found the one he was talking about. It was a dark blue summer dress with white trim around the neck. Jill smiled as she took it from him. He always loved seeing her in blue.  
  
"At least this one doesn't look like a tent," she observed, going into the bathroom to get dressed.  
  
"Another situation diffused. I should work for the bomb squad," Mike said to himself as the bathroom door closed.  
  
  
  
They arrived at Mike's parents' house at 5:30. Mike helped Jill out of the car as they walked up to the front door. Mike's mother answered the door when they rang the doorbell.  
  
"Michael, Jill! Please, come in," she said, opening the door and ushering them inside. "Your father and Wendy are in the den."  
  
"How's Pop doing?" Mike asked as they followed Mrs. Danko.  
  
"Oh, fine. He's been doing his physical therapy three times a week. He's coming along just fine," she answered, opening the den door.  
  
Mike's father stood up as they walked in. The stroke had left him with some weakness on his left side and slightly slurred speech. He walked over to them using a cane. "Michael, Jill. I'm glad you could make it. Michael, I'm sure you remember Wendy," he said, indicating the woman still sitting on the sofa.  
  
Jill held Mike's hand tightly as she looked toward the sofa. The woman sitting there was tall with perfectly coifed blonde hair, wearing expensive designer clothes. Jill's lower lip trembled and she wanted to hide.  
  
Wendy stood up and glided over to Mike, barely acknowledging Jill's presence. She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Mike, it's good to see you again."  
  
"You, too. Wendy, this is my wife, Jill. Jill, this is Wendy Burnham," Mike said, introducing the two women.  
  
"How do you do?" Jill greeted shyly, still possessively clutching Mike's hand.  
  
"Very well, thank you. Your father was telling me about the baby. Congratulations. When are you due?" She asked politely.  
  
"July," Jill replied, wanting nothing more at that moment to just leave. T  
  
Mike sat down on the love seat across the room from where Wendy and his father were sitting and slipped his arm across Jill's shoulders, ignoring the glare he received from his father. He could almost hear the thoughts going through the old man's head about public displays of affection. Mike could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen his parents display any kind of affection for one another while he was growing up. They were part of a different generation.  
  
"So, Wendy, mother was telling me you're heading for Europe in a few days," Mike said, trying to break the suffocating silence.  
  
"Yes. The company I work for in New York has transferred me to their London office. I'm looking forward to moving there. I've always loved London," Wendy answered warmly, taking a sip of her drink.  
  
"Michael, would you and Jill care for something to drink?" Mike's father asked.  
  
"No, thank you," Mike answered politely.  
  
"Jill?" Mike's father looked over at her.  
  
"No, thank you, sir," Jill answered, just wanting this dinner to be over. The baby sensed her tension and was answering by doing double cartwheels. She forced a smile as she absently stroked her abdomen. "The baby's pretty active tonight. Do you have children, Wendy?"  
  
"Heavens, no!" Wendy laughed in mock horror, putting a delicate hand to her throat. "And, if I did, I'm afraid I'd be doing what my parents did with me and my sister and ship them off to school. My business has me traveling all the time."   
  
"Wendy was never the maternal type," Mike commented dryly.  
  
"Well, you weren't exactly ready to settle down, either, if I recall," she reminded him.  
  
Mike was about to comment back when his mother came in and announced dinner. When they walked into the dining room, he held Jill's chair out for her and made sure she was settled as comfortably as possible before taking his seat beside her. Jill inwardly groaned as she sat back against the hard-backed chair.   
  
"So, Jill, how many more weeks?" Mrs. Danko asked pleasantly.  
  
"According to my doctor, about five. But, that's just a guess," Jill said, taking a drink of her water. She shook her head and covered her wine glass with her hand when Mike's father tried to fill her glass.  
  
"This looks wonderful, Mrs. Danko. Although I have to say I'm used to eating much later. Especially with the New York time difference and all," Wendy said, pointedly looking across the table at Jill.  
  
"I'm sorry. It's just if I eat late-" Jill started to say, but Mike stopped her.  
  
"You don't have to apologize to her," Mike interrupted firmly, glaring at Wendy.  
  
"I wasn't trying to be nasty. I was just stating-" Wendy started to say.  
  
"I know what you're doing. Let's just have a quiet dinner, shall we?" Mike suggested, snatching up his fork and starting to eat his salad.  
  
Jill glanced over at Mike and then across at Wendy, who bent her head toward her plate and quietly began eating her dinner. That was when Jill realized that Mike was as uncomfortable being in this house with her as Jill was. She reached under the table and squeezed his free hand sympathetically. He looked over at her and gave her a slight smile.  
  
"So, have you decided on names?" Mrs. Danko continued, taking no notice of the tension that existed between her son and their houseguest.  
  
"Michael, of course, for a boy. We don't have a girl's name yet," Jill answered.  
  
"This baby should be a good thing. Maybe it'll bring Mike back to the church," Mike's father stated firmly, looking over at Mike.  
  
"Pop, this isn't the time or the place," Mike said in a tight voice, putting down his fork.  
  
"Poppa, you promised. We don't get to see enough of Michael or Jill. I want us all to just have a nice visit," Mike's mother pleaded.  
  
Jill's head was beginning to pound and she was beginning to feel like she was in an episode of 'The Twilight Zone.' She didn't come over here to witness another fight between Mike and his father. She'd had enough of that during the first years of their marriage.  
  
Dinner finally limped along to a conclusion, none too soon as far as Jill and Mike were concerned. After dinner, Mike's mother served coffee in the den. Jill declined. She just wanted to go home. She excused herself to go to the restroom. When she came out, she almost ran head first into Wendy.  
  
"I'm sorry," Jill said as she attempted to walk by Wendy.  
  
"Can we go somewhere and talk?" Wendy asked.  
  
"Now? My husband's in the other room. He's going to be a little upset if I suddenly disappear," Jill stated.  
  
"No, I mean, we can go into my room for a few minutes?" Wendy patiently explained.  
  
"You're staying here?" Jill asked incredulously. She'd assumed Wendy would be staying in a hotel, not in Mike's parents home.  
  
"I always stay here when I'm in town. I've always been very close to Michael's parents," Wendy said smugly. "Can I please talk to you? It'll only take a few minutes."  
  
"What do you want? My husband? I'm sorry, but he's taken. Let me put it another way. He's VERY taken," Jill snapped, attempting to walk away from her.   
  
"I don't want Mike. If I'd wanted Mike, I would've married him when I had the chance. I'm glad to see he was ready to settle down. I hope you're both very happy together. I mean that in all sincerity," Wendy said.  
  
"We're very happy. I love him very much," Jill stated firmly. "Now if you'll excuse me..."   
  
PART THREE  
  
Jill was quiet during the drive home. She kept glancing over at Mike while he was driving and thinking about how very much she loved him. She knew the past few months hadn't been easy for him with her constant mood swings but he'd been so patient. She reached over and touched his shoulder.  
  
He glanced over at her. "Are you okay?" He asked worriedly.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Tired, but okay. This has been some weird night," she commented.  
  
"Tell me about it. So, tell me the truth. What did you think about Wendy?" He asked, smiling at her.  
  
"Well, she definitely didn't weigh 300 pounds or have warts all over her face. She's not your type," she said, returning his smile.  
  
"Oh, really?" He asked, playing along with her. "And what is my type?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I just never thought of you as the blonde, Park Avenue type. That was more Willie's or Chris's speed," she said thoughtfully.  
  
They didn't say anything else until they got to the apartment. Mike unlocked the front door and led her inside. She kicked off her shoes and sank down on the sofa with a contented sigh. Mike sat down beside her and pulled her close to him.  
  
"I wanted to be a career military man. When I told her, she came unglued. Her father was a general. She had spent her entire life as a military brat and she had no desire to continue being the wife of a military man, so we broke up," Mike said, gently kissing Jill on the forehead.  
  
"Your parents like her very much. Did you know she was staying there at the house?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah, I figured she probably was. Does it bother you?" He asked in a concerned voice.  
  
"No, not really. I was just surprised. Mike, I don't care if they don't accept me, but I want them to accept our child. The baby isn't responsible for anything I've done in my life," she said sadly.  
  
"I love you so much," he said, caressing her stomach. "The baby's just the icing on the cake."  
  
"Wendy told me she hopes we're very happy together. She sounded sincere about it.".  
  
"So you know you have no reason to be jealous."  
  
"I do," she nodded. "Mike? Promise me something."  
  
"It depends. What is it?"  
  
"Can we not have any more dinners at your parents house until after the baby's born?"  
  
"I think we can arrange that," he grinned, pulling her close and kissing her.  
  
THE END  



End file.
